The Memoirs of Gluckel of Hameln

Description:Begun in 1690, this diary of a 44 year old German Jewish widow, mother of 14 children tells how she guided the financial and personal destinies of her children, how she engaged in trade, ran her own factory, and promoted the welfare of her large family. Her memoir enlightens all about her life and community. She speaks with determination and humor. She tells of war, plagues, pirates, the hysteria of the false messiah Sabbtai Zevi, murder, weddings, births, and more. This memoir is a classic document in the history of women and of life in the seventeenth century. With a New Introduction by Robert Rosen.